A new beginning!

Oh, what a relief; After two years' break from bicycle travel, soon I will be back in the saddle. This time around, the final destination will be Brussels, and the trip will start on July 1st. Along the way: Riga, Nida, Kaliningrad, Gdansk, Berlin, Cologne...  The route selection is based purely on catching the tango events along the way. At the moment, the plan is to attend at least the following: Riga Tango Fiesta in Latvia, Nida Tango Retreat in Lithuania, then Berin High Noon Marathon, and as the cherry on the cake, the Marathon del Chocolate in Brussels. As always, I will put the bike on the train for the return trip, and even had the presence of mind to book and pay for the ferry ride from Germany to Helsinki.

True, I have only been riding my bike for a week now, so am still far from being in shape. Somewhere at the back of my mind I do also remember all those days on the road when the strong headwind, incessant rain and careless truck drivers make my life miserable. In the weeks to come, I will be building up the stamina and strength for those 8-hour days of pedalling, to be followed by dancing whenever there is a milonga along the way.

 It is difficult to describe the sense of lightness and joy this decision has given me. The trip will take up most of the summer months and all my hard-earned cash, but I don't have any doubts: this is how I want to spend the summer!

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